Without going into debt or eliminating anything you deem essential, how much extra could you save per month? (items, old)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

My spending is pretty lean. I'm not buying much that isn't needed.

I could cut the dog food bill, but there is a balance there. The dogs are fed healthy food and in return I don't have any vet bills.

My son and I share a phone bill, but both of us need our phones for business, so that couldn't be cut.

There are heath issues and allergies so it would be hard to cut the grocery bill, although I get good bang for the buck with groceries.

I need the internet for business, so that has to stay. My family gets several subscription TV services that are included with the cell phone plan, so getting rid of the TV wouldn't save anything.

I might be able to get a couple of dollars off the electric bill, but not much. There isn't much waste there. Heat is a necessity and can't be turned down much from where it is already set.

Driving isn't done frivolously. The gasoline bill can't really be cut. Oil changes and car service are already done at home.

I have spent almost $200 on a hobby this year, and I could give the hobby up, but I've already paid most of the expense involved.

I've spent quite a bit on gardening, but that comes back this summer in fresh fruits and veggies, so reduces the grocery store bill. I did spend about $200 this year on flowering plants, but those will be good for many years and that money is already spent and can't be spent again. I've spent nearly $300 this year on fruit trees, but that's the end of that because there is no more room to plant fruit trees, and they will help cut the cost of the grocery bill.

I'd love to cut the tax bills which is where a lot of my money goes, but I can't figure out how to get the government to cooperate on that. Ditto for insurance. The insurance bill has gone up a lot, but I don't think it is such a good idea to stop paying the insurance.

I do drink a little bit of soda pop. I could give that up and save about $2-3 a week. I already drink mostly water and sometimes iced tea, which is really cheap to make.

[Hemlock140]

We are currently saving about $5,000/month, with about half going into 401 & 457, the rest into two different credit union savings accounts. We have not dropped or reduced anything, still able to pay cash without using credit cards. That will only last for another few months, however, until I retire, and we have our income cut by about 45%. Then we'll sell this house and pay cash with the equity to downsize, so no mortgage will save us $2,700/month from our current expenses. Assuming all else is equal, with SS and our pensions we will probably be fine, taking only the minimum distributions from the 401, 457 and IRA, and hopefully put most of that into savings.

[Submariner]

I do not know how much we could save.

We are already in the habit of doing those things.

I have been brewing alcohol since the 70's.

We garden and raise livestock. My Dw took courses on butchering, as it turned out she LOVES butchering. But most of our animals end up going to a USDA meat processor so that our meat can be sold at Farmer's Markets.

I installed solar power on our home years ago [which was very expensive] but the tax write-offs were pretty sweet. Then later we bought a plugin sedan which we recharge at home, and that saves us a bunch of gasoline.

My Dw never really got used to using make-up, so she has never worn any. She has had one perm done to her hair, and that was the son of a tenant who was going through beauty school doing it as a school project for free. [she has waist-length hair]

[heavymind]

Originally Posted by Sand&Salt

Yes, like you, we could cut out alcohol and save half our grocery bill but we don't, lol.

Same here, that's pretty much my one splurge. I enjoy drinking a few beers at the end of the day, it's a small reward for putting up with the BS of everyday life, when I can afford it. Sometimes I can't. In every other regard I'm already frugal so don't have any costly habits or expenses to begin with.

This is a great thread topic and I occasionally think of this very thing...how could I save more money? Usually the answer is "what for?" I'd rather use and enjoy what little I have now rather than squirreling it away for some unknown and non-guaranteed future life.

[skimbro000]

In addition to the 12% we already save, we could cut about $2000 more if needed.

[Teacher Terry]

I could also save money if I quit traveling. In the past two years I went to Europe twice and will go again in 25. This year I am just flying across the country twice to see two of my sons.

[himain]

A lot

[mitchmiller9]

If you're living a frugal life, there should be little excess spending in your budget.

About the only things I could cut from my budget without affecting my health (like eating less or substituting cheap unhealthy food for fresh fruits and veggies or stop taking supplements), would be to stop tipping my condo staff at Christmas and stop visiting my relatives once per year to save on the train fare.

[mathjak107]

there is a fine line between frugal and cheap .

frugal is where you only deny yourself from certain things or comforts or strive to make every dollar count , cheap is when you hurt others by not parting with that dollar.

a co worker refuses to buy an air conditioner because he doesn’t want to pay to run it so his wife suffers by it .

stopping tipping to those who earn a living by it when you use there services hurts them .

to me that isn’t frugal , it’s just cheap..

[gentlearts]

In a normal month I could save about $500-$700. if I’m careful, but we’ve had a very expensive first quarter of the year, so I haven’t been able to do it, since last November. Hopefully by next month I’ll be back on track.